Christmas Gifts

A Journal of Joy: Things that make my heart smile…

I love, love, love the Christmas season. While some hate the hustle and bustle of Christmas shopping, I relish it. I love hearing Christmas music everywhere. I love hearing an atheist hum “O Come All Ye Faithful” when he has no idea he is praising our Lord. Yes, I know the commercialism has gotten way out of hand, but Christmas is a time when the whole world celebrates the Savior’s birth whether they think they are or not. Without Christ, there really is no “Christ”-mas.

Those of us who don’t have money to buy expensive gifts to lavish on loved ones or even put a dollar or two in Santa’s Salvation Army bucket may feel a little down. But do not despair! There are gifts you can give that cost little or nothing, yet are very valuable. Here’s a list I’ve come up with and I’m sure you can add your own ideas. Just because you can’t buy gifts for others doesn’t mean you don’t have something to give.

Smiles: Smiles are a universal language. Not only do smiles lift spirits, they are contagious. Statistics show that a person who is given a smile will more than likely give one to someone else. So as the old song goes, “Smile, darn ya, smile!” (Psalm 32:11)

Handwritten Note of Appreciation: Has someone done you a kindness? Why not give them a handwritten note of appreciation? With email and text messaging being the norm for communication today, a handwritten note could turn out to be a collector’s item. (Philippians 1:3)

Encouragement: Words like “you did a great job,” “thank you for your help,” and “don’t you look nice today” can make someone’s day. (1 Thessalonians 5:11)

Laughter: Why not clip and share a funny, yet tasteful, cartoon with someone? Sharing a laugh can even improve one’s health. Studies show that those who laugh more live longer. (Ecclesiastes 3:4)

Patience: Try not to get irritated with ANYONE for the whole holiday season. Don’t raise your voice in anger or lash out at others. We all make mistakes from time to time, so we don’t need others constantly pointing them out to us. (Luke 21:19)

Benefit of the Doubt: Think the best of others for a change. Don’t impute motives or assume they are doing things to deliberately upset you. Sometimes we just take things the wrong way. (Philippians 4:8)

Give People a Break: Open the door for someone. Let someone go ahead of you in line. Give the other guy the parking space. It won’t hurt you as much as you think. (Philippians 2:3)

Visit One Person in a Nursing Home: So many that are in nursing homes have no one to visit them. Our dream as a young person is not to end up old and alone. Ask the nursing home attendant if there is anyone who never has visitors, then visit a little with that person. Listen more than talk. The elderly love sharing childhood stories. They are living history lessons. (Matthew 25:39-40)

Forgive: Remember that forgiveness is a gift you give yourself as well as others. Let go and let God take care of it. (Matthew 6:14)

Be a Living Example of Jesus Christ: ‘Tis the season to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Be a reflection of Christ. Let others see that Christ is alive and living in you. What a great gift to give to others! (Matthew 5:16)

You won’t find these gifts under the tree. That’s what’s so nice about them. People don’t have to wait until Christmas to unwrap the package!

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O heavenly Father, I can’t thank You enough for the indescribable gift of Your Son Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 9:15). He came not to condemn us but to save us (John 3:17). The angels sang at His birth and although we don’t know the exact time or date of His actual birth that does not mean we can’t rejoice at this time of year. What a wonderful time to pause and spend time with friends and family. It’s even better if we can focus on Jesus’s birth during our celebrations, but if that’s not possible, we can still remember the true meaning of Christmas in our hearts and reflect Christ’s love to all we meet. Merry Christmas, Lord! And thanks again for giving us the perfect Christmas present—Your Son, Jesus!  

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